Air Force Combat Action Medal
|same=Navy & Marine Corps - Combat Action Ribbon Coast Guard - Coast Guard Combat Action Ribbon |lower=Presidential Unit Citation |related=Army Combat Action Badge |image2= |caption2=Service ribbon }} The Air Force Combat Action Medal (AFCAM)Air Force Combat Action Medal, Air Force Personnel Center, posted 4 August 2010, last accessed 18 March 2013 is a relatively new medal issued by the United States Air Force. It was first awarded on June 12, 2007 for actions from September 11, 2001 to a date to be determined and may be awarded posthumously. Criteria For an airman to wear the AFCAM, a narrative explanation of the airman's involvement in combat activities must be submitted by a person with first-hand knowledge of the incident to the first O-6 (Colonel) in their operational chain of command on an AF Form 3994. The application will be processed through the chain of command and eventually be approved or disapproved by the Commander of Air Force Forces (COMAFFOR).Air Force releases combat action medal criteria, Air Force Print News, 4/9/2007 Combat conditions defined: For the purposes of this award, the combat conditions are met when: * Individual(s) deliberately go outside the defended perimeter to conduct official duties - either ground or air, and * Come under enemy attack by lethal weapons while performing those duties, and * Are at risk of grave danger. Or * Individual(s) are defending the base (on the defended perimeter), and * Come under fire and engage the enemy with direct and lethal fire, and * Are at risk of grave danger; also meet the intent of combat conditions for the award. Additionally, personnel in ground operations who actively engage the enemy with direct and lethal fire may qualify even if no direct fire is taken—as long as there was risk of grave danger and other criteria are met. Central to the integrity of this combat recognition is the adherence to these combat conditions prerequisites. The AFCAM has no patch or badge equivalent for wear on the Airman Battle Uniform and other functional uniforms that are worn for daily duties and deployments. It is worn after the Air Force Achievement Medal and before the Presidential Unit Citation. Additional awards are denoted with 5/16 inch gold star devices. Design In conjunction with the Army Institute of Heraldry, the medal was designed by Susan Gamble, a professional artist and Master Designer for the U.S. Mint. Her husband, Mike Gamble, is an Air Force colonel, and she was quoted by the Washington Post as saying, "It was just a real pleasure to give this back to the Air Force that's been part of my life." She based the medal on an insignia painted on an aircraft piloted in World War I by General Billy Mitchell, generally known as the father of the Air Force.For Today's Air Force, a New Symbol of Valor by John Kelly, June 13, 2007. Washington Post, p. B03. Accessed June 13, 2007. A laurel wreath surrounds an eagle emblem executed in a simple, linear Art Deco style. The eagle faces right, over the right talon clutching arrows, to reflect that this is a combat medal. The left talon clutches an olive branch. The ribbon's diagonal stripe at first could not be manufactured in the United States; but military medals cannot be manufactured outside the U.S. This design problem was resolved when a mill in Bally, Pennsylvania, Bally Ribbon Mills, bought a new loom specifically to weave the diagonal stripe. A Rhode Island firm, Ira Green Inc. in Providence, made the metal parts. The medal is the only Federal award of the United States military to have a diagonally patterned ribbon, much like various British awards (such as the Distinguished Flying Cross). Recipients The first recipients of the medal awarded on June 12, 2007, were:Airmen receive first AF Combat Action Medals, Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs, 6/12/2007 *Maj. Steven A. Raspet of Fountain Valley, California *Capt. Allison K. Black of North Point, New York *Senior Master Sgt. Ramon Colon-Lopez of Bridgeport, Connecticut *Master Sgt. Charlie Peterson of Detroit, Michigan *Master Sgt. Byron P. Allen of Birmingham, Alabama *Staff Sgt. Daniel L. Paxton of Abingdon, Virginia The first posthumous recipient of the medal was A1C Elizabeth Jacobson. 7th recipient for actions on 15,June 2007 Camp Bucca, Iraq Staff Sgt. Earnest L. Johnson III of Buchanan, Michigan 27 August 2007 See also * Combat Action Badge—US Army equivalent * Combat Action Ribbon—US Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard equivalent * Combat Infantryman Badge—US Army related award * Combat Medical Badge—US Army related award * General Assault Badge and Close Combat Clasp—similar World War II German Army badges References News *Airmen to see combat medal in April, 1/26/2007, Air Force Print News *CSAF to award first AF Combat Action Medals, 6/8/2007, Air Force Link Category:Awards and decorations of the United States Air Force Category:Awards established in 2007